This Site

Granddaughters Now Charged

With Death Of Vulnerable Adult

The granddaughters of a retired United Methodist minister have now been charged in connection with his death, after their father and stepmother were charged with the same offense in November 2017. Amber Nicole Trent, 26, was arrested Jan. 13, and her sister Nicole Krystn Chewning, 23, was arrested on Jan. 19. Both have been charted with abuse and neglect of an adult resulting in death. On Thurs., Nov. 2, 2017, the Saluda County Coroner’s Office responded to a call on 320 S. Calhoun Street in Saluda. Upon arrival, they found 79-year-old James Boyd Chewning dead in a hospital bed where he had been tie wrapped to the bed and obviously neglected and abused. After conferring with the Saluda Police Department, a joint decision was made to call to the specialized Vulnerable Adult Team and the Crime Scene Investigation Unit from SLED to the scene. After many hours of investigation and interrogation by SLED, the Coroner’s office and Saluda Police agreed to turn the prosecution of this case over to SLED. Donald Chewning, 51, (the victim’s adopted son) and Kathy Chewning, 48, (Donald Chewning’s wife) were arrested on charges of abuse and neglect of a vulnerable adult resulting in death. According to the arrest report, the victim was battered, restrained to a bed using zip ties, and rags and duct tape were used to cover the victim’s mouth and eyes. Rev. Chewning retired from the active ministry in 2004. His last appointment was with the Emory -Nazareth Charge in Saluda County.

Tornado SirensTo Be Tested

Beginning on February 1st, 2018, Saluda County will be performing audible monthly testing on all county tornado sirens at 10:30 AM on the first Thursday of each month. This automated test will be performed to ensure that all sirens are in working order in the event of a tornado event. Saluda County has 9 tornado sirens located throughout the county that are utilized when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for an area within Saluda County. The Saluda County Emergency Management Division would like to remind all citizens that tornado sirens are outdoor warning devices utilized to warn individuals that are outdoors in the immediate vicinity of the siren. These sirens are not designed to serve as primary warning devices. All citizens are encouraged to utilize a NOAA weather radio as a primary means of notification of significant weather events. There are also a number of services available for mobile devices that will alert the user when various weather conditions exist. For additional information regarding hazardous weather warning devices, please visit www.nws. noaa.gov/nwr/ or www.ready.gov/alerts .